As BlackBerry continues to transform its business by building a world-class team and bringing even greater focus to the company, I’m happy to announce the formation of QNX Software Systems’ new Cloud business.

In this growing, connected world, it’s more important than ever to create technologies that not only connect people to people, but that connect to machines and devices for greater communication and interaction. BlackBerry and QNX have a long history of developing solutions that do just that. Solutions that connect and support the Internet of Things, including embedded platforms, networks and devices, are at the heart of what QNX delivers. Consider this – while there are 5 billion handsets in the world that we want to connect to, there may be 500 billion devices out there that present a tremendous opportunity for an organization with the experience and track record of QNX. I’m thrilled to create a group within QNX that will be dedicated to bringing these solutions to market in a timely and cohesive manner. This business is being established alongside our existing organizations that serve the embedded market (including general embedded and automotive).

Alec Saunders will lead this new group as Vice President of the QNX Cloud business. I am confident Alec will be successful in his new position given his previous experience in helping to build BlackBerry’s dedicated developer community and growing the BlackBerry application ecosystem as Vice President of Developer Relations and Ecosystem Development. Alec is returning to his roots, as he previously held the VP Marketing role at QNX from 2001 to 2002.

In addition, Marty Mallick has been appointed Vice President, Global Alliances and Ecosystems, which combines Developer Relations with his current Business Development and BlackBerry World responsibilities. Having worked closely with Alec on the evolution of our ecosystem, there is no better person than Marty to continue to advance this work. Marty’s expertise will allow him to work with partners and developers to make BlackBerry 10 users even more productive and efficient.

These changes underscore our continued efforts to drive collaboration across BlackBerry operating units, while leveraging top internal talent to help seize emerging business opportunities. I look forward to sharing more information about our Cloud team at QNX in the coming months as their work progresses.

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Mobile Computing is at risk of becoming the buzz-word of the year, but no one seems to be exactly clear on what it is and more importantly what it means for consumers, enterprises, carriers, partners, and anyone involved in the mobile ecosystem. There’s an incredible opportunity for this space to be defined, and today we’re introducing a solution that begins to do just that.

Here at the Telematics Detroit Conference, we’ve unveiled a solution for automakers that lets them easily manage and securely download software updates to a vehicle. The Software Update Management for Automotive service leverages BlackBerry’s global, secure infrastructure.

Vehicles hold a lot of digital information needed to operate efficiently, and come with sophisticated in-vehicle infotainment systems, apps, media centers, and more. Automakers want to be able to deliver software updates that can offer new, compelling capabilities to their customers, long after the initial sale. With vehicles becoming connected end points, the opportunity is wireless. A secure connection to end points such as this, enabled by BlackBerry technology, will help automakers connect with customers and allow them to bring new features, and potentially diagnose problems remotely.

The development of OTA services is part of BlackBerry’s broader mobile computing strategy. BlackBerry is providing the foundation for a new era of mobile computing by connecting mobile end points securely and creating opportunities for community building, connecting, and sharing.

Personally, I couldn’t be more excited by where this is all going. I’ve become convinced of a very bright future in the form of mobile computing and dramatically increased connectivity to the devices and machines that we use.

To learn more about the BlackBerry solution demonstrated at the Telematics Detroit Conference, head over to www.blackberry.com/m2m.

Use your imagination! What would you like to see in the future of connected end points that would make your life easier, safer, or more enjoyable? Share in the comments below.